Parliament needs to help improve justice system: CJP

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Asif Saeed Khosa has urged Parliament and the executive to work towards improving the justice system as he lamented no amendments were presented in the legislature about judicial policy.

“It is the responsibility of every organ of the state to work towards the provision of speedy and inexpensive justice to the masses,” Radio Pakistan quoted Justice Khosa as saying at a conference at the Federal Judicial Academy here on Saturday. “There are certain laws which need to be revisited — including the Anti-terrorism Act.”

The chief justice said: “We have tried to impress upon the IGPs [police chiefs] to ensure that investigations are completed within the given timeframe and then Challans [chargesheets] are timely presented before the courts.”

In remarks quoted by Geo News, Justice Khosa said: “The initiative of model courts has been taken in order to ensure delivery of expeditious justice to the people ... Model trial courts will not grant adjournments in order to ensure timely conclusion of cases.”

He said in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries a time is fixed for cases. “In a year, the Supreme Court of US and UK announced the verdict of 100 cases, while the Supreme Court of Pakistan announced verdicts of 26,000 cases.”

“Three thousand judges announced verdicts on 3.4 million cases last year,” he said. The top judge further said dispensing justice had been his purpose ever since he became a judge. “Time should be fixed for cases according to the judicial policy. Every possible step should be taken to remove the postponement in cases.”

The chief justice further said by fixing a time it will be easier to get justice. “If the lawyer cannot be present his junior will be appointed, if the plaintiff is not present an alternative way will be found. We will ensure chemical examiners and forensic authorities submit the report in a fixed time,” he added.

Justice Khosa has long called for the timely conclusion of cases. At the full court reference of his predecessor Mian Sahib Nisar in January, Justice Khosa had said he would like to “build some dams as well”, referring to the former chief justice’s efforts to get the Diamer-Bhasha dams built. “A dam against undue and unnecessary delays in judicial determination of cases, a dam against frivolous litigation and a dam against fake witnesses and false testimonies and would also try to retire a debt, the debt of pending cases which must be decided at the earliest possible,” he said.